Mikel Gurrea brings Saints to San Sebastian Competition
Mikel Gurrea has taken 'Saints' into Competition at San Sebastián for its world premiere.
The Spain-Italy production, whose Catalan title is 'Sants', is in the festival's Official Selection, according to the San Sebastián Film Festival. The 2026 edition runs from September 18 to September 26, 2026, Variety reported. Competition here means the main race for the festival's top prize, the Golden Shell.
Behind the premiere sits a fast-moving sales story. Berlin-based M-Appeal picked up 'Saints' for international sales, the business of licensing a film's rights territory by territory, Variety reported. The company posted early sales ahead of the debut and the film landed distribution deals in Spain before San Sebastián, Deadline reported. M-Appeal lists the world premiere at San Sebastián on its slate page.
Victoria Luengo leads the cast. She plays Lali, a woman first encountered in the desert, Variety reported. Rosario and her group draw Lali into the theft of religious objects. Ariadna Gil plays Gloria, Lali's estranged mother.
The film reunites Gurrea with Luengo after 'Suro'. Gurrea co-wrote later drafts of the script with Francisco Kosterlitz and researched real religious art robberies while developing the story, Variety reported. Luengo is also the star of 'The Beloved', Variety reported.
The title is personal. Gurrea lives in Sants, a district of Barcelona. Sants means Saints in Catalan.
M-Appeal executives Maren Kroymann and Quentin Bosschaert were listed as attending San Sebastián from September 21 to 25. That window covers the heart of the Competition screenings and the market meetings where buyers close territory deals.
What makes this stand out is the tight loop between place and plot. A neighbourhood name becomes an English-language title. Street life feeds a crime story built around faith, family and stolen sacred art.
